The Wrong Grave

by Kelly Link

Through the lens of Kelly Link's vivid imagination, nothing is what it seems, and everything in this collection of short stories deserves a second look.

From the multiple award-winning 'The Faery Handbag', in which a teenager's grandmother carries an entire village (or is it a man-eating dog?) in her handbag, to the 'The Wrong Grave,' which tells the story of a sixteen year old boy who digs up the grave of his girlfriend in order to rescue the poetry he buried with her—these stories will put goosebumps on your goosebumps.

Kelly Link has a cult following in the United States and now Australian teens can have their world rocked, too. Link's stories are funny, scary and full of unexpected insights and skewed perspectives on the world.

Librarian note: This book and the "Pretty Monsters" book published by Text Publishing together contain all of the stories in the other collections titled "Pretty Monsters".

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy, Fiction, Anthologies, Supernatural, Magical Realism, Magic

183 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Kelly Link is an American author best known for her short stories, which span a wide variety of genres - most notably magic realism, fantasy and horror. She is a graduate of Columbia University.

Her stories have been collected in four books - Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners, Pretty Monsters, and most recently, Get in Trouble.
She has won several awards for her short stories, including the World Fantasy Award in 1999 for "The Specialist's Hat", and the Nebula Award both in 2001 and 2005 for "Louise's Ghost" and "Magic for Beginners".

Link also works as an editor, and is the founder of independant publishing company, Small Beer Press, along with her husband, Gavin Grant.

Reviews

[lucky little cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressionistic, wistful, memorable stories where magic always leads to trouble.

The Fox always has a plan.

Women take the lead in most all the stories: a corpse is unafraid to assert her identity; a granddaughter inherits her grandma's snappish handbag; eerie twins and their nameless babysitter all play at being dead. Each story is surprising and fresh, and my one complaint is the complete absence of actual endings. Instead, the final sentences typically signal ambiguity or drift.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just in love with Kelly Link's writing - so original and odd and poetic and... just read this.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wrong Grave and Pretty Monsters are companion volumes, each with, I think, five stories. They're both bizarre and fabulous and I find them quite inspiring - after reading a story by Kelly Link, you sort of think about things differently. My favourite story in this volume is most definitely 'The Faery Handbag' - everything about it is fantastic. The idea of a strange world inside a handbag that you can disappear to for a night, and when you get out of twenty years may have passed (it's a sort of Narnia, I guess, except time travels very fast in Narnia compared to the real world, and in this story it's the opposite) makes the story immediately interesting, but the main thing I love about it is the way in which it is told - Link's writing is very evocative, and this story probably makes more sense than the others, but it's still delightfully weird. The descriptions of the thrift store and the hairy handbag and the narrator's grandmother are all wonderful.

[Sarah Leavesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few stupider things than to read the final story in this collection late at night with a strong wind blowing outside and trees creaking loudly and a kitten creeping around and scratching things and bumping things. But I did and then had bad dreams all night.
An excellent collection of fantastically weird and creepy stories. I liked The Faery Handbag and The Wrong Grave best.

[Kate Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book number four for the Magical Readathon!
I tried reading this book about a year ago and just didn't quite click with it, but I'm so glad I picked it up again. The stories were delightfully quirky and spooky at times, I really enjoyed them!

[Jacqui Dent · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING! Even better than Pretty Monsters!!

[Anthony Panegyres · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection. The title story and the novella, Magic for Beginners, are both particularly wonderful, but each tale here has something to love about it.

[Rhys · Rating 3 out of 5]

they felt unfinished

[Shannon A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Kelly Link! The Wrong Grave is perfect for Halloween and is a fun read- or re-read. Can't wait for the movie to be released!

[Ida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelly Link har ett originellt och fascinerande språk och Ia Lind gör ett strålande jobb i översättningen av Links novellsamling "Pretty Monsters", på svenska uppdelad i två delar. Jag fångas av de välskrivna berättelserna & undrar vad som mer gömmer sig i Links huvud.

I den andra delen, "Askungeleken och andra berättelser", föredrar jag hennes skräck- och SF-liknande historier men är inte lika förtjust i hennes fantasyvärld. Mina favoriter i denna del är "Monstret" och "Surfaren". I "Monstret" får vi följa ett gäng tonårspojkar på ett sommarläger och man kan riktigt känna den där unkna skräcken över att vara den som ingen vill umgås med, den som blir utsatt. Det är synd om James Lorbick, "en tönt som kom från Chicago och led av svår fotsvett." Stämningen trappas upp när James tvingas att klä ut sig i klänning trots att han inte vill. Men vadå, det är inte mobbning, det är ju bara på skoj! De pratar också om monstret som en annan grupp pojkar säger sig ha sett i skogen. Finns det på riktigt? Jag håller med Linda Olsson i DN om att det är lite som en blandning av "Flugornas Herre" och "Blair Witch Project". Pojkar som inte kan se de verkliga farorna förrän det är försent.

"Surfaren" handlar om en grupp människor som väntar på utomjordingar som ska komma medan de är inlåsta i en hangar under karantän. Samtidigt pågår en otäck pandemi utanför som skördar jorden på människoliv. En av mina största mardrömmar har alltid varit att världen antingen drabbas av enorma miljökatastrofer, världskrig eller just omfattande sjukdomar. Det blir verkligt, läskigt och djupt tragiskt då många i hangaren har förlorat nära och kära. Kan utomjordingarna rädda dem? Finns de över huvud taget? Lägg till det ironiska att alla människor försöker söka asyl i Costa Rica där de har det bäst med bra teknologi och ett värdigt samhälle. Ingen vill längre bo i det u-lansliknande USA...

Vi får följa människorna i Links historier under en kort stund och sluten är öppna. Det som drar ned betygen från en fyra för mig är att jag ändå inte riktigt fångas hela vägen i den här delen av "Pretty Monsters". Det känns som att det i slutändan är något litet som saknas, något större djup som ska fånga mig lite mer. "Fel Grav" hade lite mer av det där lilla extra. Men Kelly Link skriver udda och eget, jag vill läsa mer av henne! Ett plus för den underbare illustratören och Almapristagaren Shaun Tans bilder.

Citat som fastnade (ur novellen "Söta monster"): "Maureen kommer ofta med sådana rimliga krav som Lee, orimligt nog, alltid vill avvisa. En mångårig vänskap utmärks nog oftare av den sortens känslor än av harmoni och sämja".

[Ace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DNF'd this because the style of writing wasn't working for me, and I'm sleepy and it's due from the library tomorrow, because I can't time things properly.

Trigger and Content Warnings: previous/loss of loved one, slavery [For The Wrong Grave and halfway through The Wizards of Perfil]

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Starting this tonight, with no idea what to expect!

[Laura Morrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly Link's imagination is truly a strange and beautiful place! It is always fascinating to see where her stories will lead you. Every one of her stories creates a different and amazing world.

This book has two stories that also appear in her other anthology (The Faery Handbag and Magic For Beginners), but it was definitely worth reading for The Specialist's Hat, The Wizards of Perfil and The Wrong Grave, which I undeniably adored. I would kiss the feet of those stories. Some of her stories aren't particularly to my taste, however they are still well written. I like her darker, more nightmarish stories the best! Link is a wonderfully talented author and I recommend her writing wholeheartedly.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a collection when I first started it so of course I didn't under stand why the story was going so quickly, but I soon really liked it and thought that it was a magical anthology. I am not the biggest fan of short story collections so I often found myself being very invested in one of the stories but having it end on me just when it was getting really interesting. I would have given this four stars if maybe it was longer and some of the stories were more deawn out, because I really did like the magical elements of the stories as well as the voice of the writer. I think my favourite dstory would be about the grandmother with the fur purse, it was magical.

[Clare Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories have been published in various anthologies, but to have them together to read one after the other is a serving of sumptuous intensity, each with a scribbling from Shaun Tan. If you think his illustrations have anything to do with the quote from the story beneath them, don't. I confused myself thinking this. Enjoy his interpretation, which may be different to your own. My fav decoration is from “Magic for Beginners” George Washington carries Fox in his arms across the dusty red landscape outside of the Free People’s World-Tree Library, her tail and ears tucked in his pockets. I’d like a tail.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because it looked interesting, so I read the back of the book for more information. The thing I liked about this book was all of the different characters. I also liked it because it wasn't just one book, it was a range of small stories. From this book, I learnt to think before I act. I learnt this because one of the characters from the book wanted to dig up his girlfriend so that he could get poems and he ended up digging up the wrong girl. The character that I was interested in was Bethany, I was interested in her because she played a prank on her boyfriend.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of teenage horror/fantasy stories. Very inventive and eclectic. I loved the Faery handbag especially as the idea of a bag that is bigger inside than out is a great notion for women!! Especially when your boyfriend is on the inside!! Wonderful bonus are the illustrations by Shaun Tan.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second part of the translation of Kelly Link's Pretty Monsters is just as good as the first. The stories are captivating little morsels of fantastic, just about the right length to read in the evening or on the train.

I imagine it would be even better to read the stories again, just to see what I I missed the first go.

Highly recommended to fans of the fantastic!

[Ben Thurley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheerfully off-kilter and subtly (or not-so-subtly) surreal stories that tread a wide terrain from teen love and loss, to worlds pregnant with magic and sacrifice, to dark urban dreamscapes. All told in a disarming, almost chatty, narrative voice that hooks the reader pretty quickly and completely.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very clever and original I couldn't believe it. A tad scary, completely wild and yet so elegantly written. Short stories that don't seem short.

[CynthiaElle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super creepy and something I will have nightmares about but entertaining

[Liv]

short story

[Rebecca Galloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is most likely my favorite short story. It's satirical. It's dark. It comments on humanity. It's paranormal. It's also coming-of-age. There's something here for everyone.